WHOEVER
IS ASHAMED OF MY
WORDS
In Yahshua’s last
words as recorded in the book of Matthew, He clearly said - “Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). So let us ask
the question – Since the word “disciple” is never once used beyond the book
of Acts, how is it that Christians, much less “all the nations,” could ever
be led into becoming Yahshua’s disciple as He commands?
It is obviously not the church’s intentions at all, or, quite frankly,
even their opportunity, to make or even become disciples!
That which Yahshua said as being necessary in order to become His
disciple (Luke 14:26-33) is never recognized or even taught! Therefore, we are faced with the rather glaring question
– How then can Christians or the nations ever become His disciple?
Furthermore, Yahshua
specifically said to teach men “to observe all that I commanded you.” He did not say – “to observe all that Paul commanded
you.” So who then has the higher authority –
Paul or Yahshua? Looking at Christianity, clearly
Yahshua has become the forgotten teacher, second rate to Paul. It is entirely wrong and complete error to negate
the teachings of Yahshua, even any part of His teachings, based on the writings
of Paul. But this is a common response by Christians
when challenged with Yahshua’s command to give up all of one’s possessions. Paul is not the higher authority, is he? And if not, then why bring up Paul in order to discredit
Yahshua? This is a grave and inexcusable error!
This closing passage
spoken by Yahshua in the book of Matthew is woefully ignored (or modified,
being one and the same) by Christianity. And
the reason they do, of course, is because Christians are not His disciples,
but instead are the followers of Paul. (Or,
they are followers of Yahshua, even as Yahshua had many followers because
of His miracles and teachings, yet they were not His disciples.) It is the second Remnant who will restore the age-old
foundations and repair the breach (Isaiah 58:12) that has been caused by
Christianity, and thereby return to the clear instructions of Yahshua. The second Remnant are the disciples of Yahshua!
And before looking
at the main passage to be addressed in this section, let us note that in
Matthew 11:29 Yahshua said – “learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart.” He did not say – “learn from Paul.” And in Luke 21:33, we read – “Heaven and earth will
pass away, but My words will not pass away.” We
have already seen that the work that is built on Paul’s words must be abandoned,
for it is incomplete and corrupted and has not been built upon Yahshua’s
words. But Yahshua’s words are everlasting, and
it is upon His words that we must build, not Paul’s.
Now for the primary
passage of this section, though not minimizing in any way that which we
have already considered. And, via a comparison
of this passage in each of the gospels, we will also find even further confirming
and fruitful insight. In Mark 8:34-38 we read:
And He summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
This message is
strikingly familiar to that which we read in Luke 14: 25-35 regarding what
Yahshua said is required in order to be His disciple.
For one, it addresses the necessity to take up one’s cross, which is
the second item required to be Yahshua’s disciple. The
next item is of course distinctly similar to His command to give up all of
one’s possessions – “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and
forfeit his soul?” and, “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Of course the issue once again is worldly possessions,
and in Luke 14:33 Yahshua directly addressed what one must do per these worldly
possessions – give them up!
Thus we see Yahshua
repeating this same clear message. But let
us now focus on the closing part of this statement – “For whoever is ashamed
of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man
will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with
the holy angels.”
The challenge that
we face before the return of Yahshua, as well as the question as to whose
words we should give heed, could not be stated more clearly than that which
Yahshua said here. The issue as to whether you
will reign with Yahshua in an immortal body, comes down once again to what
your response will be to His words. It
is His words over which He will watch, not the words of Paul; and if you
will not obey them and are thereby ashamed of them, He has said that He will
be ashamed of you at His soon coming. These will
not be dead people who will feel this shame, but Christians who have rejected
His words in this very hour and have failed to enter into immortality alive. Let us now compare the gospels that, as we will see,
confirm this testimony.
The promise to reign
with Yahshua in the first resurrection is a promise that is given to the
first and second Remnant. Christianity will
not enter into the first resurrection, but will be in the second resurrection. And we find here in this specific passage in a most
unusual way this very testimony. Let us look at this.
When examining this
same account in first Remnant Matthew 16:24-28 and second Remnant Luke 9:23-27,
it appears that a very significant passage is missing in Mark - the promise
of entering into immortality! After the common
statement we read here in Mark, in both first Remnant Matthew, verse 28,
and second Remnant Luke, verse 27, the following statement is immediately
added – “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here
who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” However, when you examine this same passage in Mark
8, this statement is decidedly missing!
At first glance,
it looks like the promise to Mark Christianity to enter alive into immortality
is completely missing, which would certainly be a severe testimony. But further examination (which I missed even myself
until a circumspect examination by another brother revealed otherwise), we
find that, most unusually, the subject statement has been moved to the next
chapter! Why? Is this accidental,
or possibly divine?
If one examines
these verses in all three accounts, it leaves one with a most puzzling question. Even a cursory review of these would render the obvious
conclusion that they all fit together. So, with
great puzzlement, one wonders how this most unusual separation in Mark could
have ever occurred? In fact, the intactness of
this is so obvious (especially in light of the identical message in Matthew
and Luke), one wonders if it was not a result of an error. But, this could often be the conclusion when it comes
to a comparison of the gospels, or even the Old Testament accounts, for there
are many similar unusual contradictions. And,
as we have repeatedly seen vividly evidenced, these contradictions declare
important confirming and even revealing truth. So,
was Yahweh even sovereign over the chapter breaks, affording us a highly
unique yet confirming message we have seen elsewhere concerning Christianity
and the Remnant? It seems quite evident that He
was.
This question at
hand would not be so pressing if we did not already see a similar testimony
in the Scriptures. In One Thing You Still Lack, page 10, we find the revealing evidence that Christianity
will have the moneychanging cast out of them a “day” later. While in first Remnant Matthew and second Remnant
Luke the moneychangers were cast out on the same day Yahshua made His triumphal
entry into Jerusalem, this was not the case in Christianity Mark. In Mark, Yahshua delayed cleansing the temple of the
moneychangers by one day. While the first and
second Remnants have the money issue dealt with in them on the day(s) of
His coming, we find testified that the money issue will be dealt with in
Christianity a “day” later.
Thus, since Yahweh
already testifies to this delay for Christianity, it raises a most curious
question - Why is it that these almost identical verses in Matthew, Mark,
and Luke, are divided at this highly important promise in Christianity Mark? It seems evident that Yahweh is giving us a second
witness, testifying to us once again the very fact that we have already seen
to be true regarding Christianity – it will not enter into the first resurrection,
but their immortality will be delayed to the next “chapter” in their timing. Christianity will not enter into immortality with
the Matthew first Remnant and the Luke second Remnant, even as we see once
again in this most unusual testimony; but they will enter into immortality
in the next “chapter” of their lives following their purification by fire.
The first and second
Remnant will enter into immortality first. And
what makes these two groups so unique so as to do so?
One of the outstanding factors is that they obey Yahshua’s word to
give up all of one’s possessions and become His disciples.
While we already
know the outcome of the first Remnant, evidenced in Revelation 2:8-11 per
the church of Smyrna, we find in Revelation 3:7-13 per the church of Philadelphia
a most encouraging testimony regarding the second Remnant. Unique to the seven churches, concerning Philadelphia
Yahshua said – “you have a little power, and have kept My word.” Whose word then will the second Remnant keep? Are they the words of Paul? Not
at the expense of Yahshua’s words. Yahshua has
the words of life, not Paul. Yahshua said His
words will endure forever, not Paul’s. It is
Yahshua’s words of which we are instructed not to be ashamed, not Paul’s. And it is Yahshua’s words we, the second Remnant,
will keep!
Continue to page
4 of “Blessed Are The Poor” for THE NARROW
WAY